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Friday, September 13, 2019

It's Friday, and that means it's time to Celebrate the Small Things. Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly bloghop dedicated to celebrating the little things in life. By highlighting those the little victories and happy moments, we hope to feel more grateful for all that we have.

If you'd like to join in, leave me a link to your blog in the comments and I'll add you to our list!

I have a few things to celebrate this week. First of all, our family took a trip to the zoo last weekend. The kids all enjoyed the animals. They got extra excited when one of the lions decided to roar.

Daisy is going to be four months old on Sunday. She also started rolling over from her back to her stomach this past week. Once she rolls, she'll grab onto the blanket and try to pull herself forward. She obviously can't do much more than that yet, but she's determined to move. Little ones grow quickly, don't they?I'm also celebrating my writing. I had an idea for a new project, and I've started outlining it and writing a few scenes to get a feel for the world. It's been going well so far, and I'm looking forward to working more on it.What would you like to celebrate?

Friday, September 6, 2019

It's Friday, and you know what that means! It's time to Celebrate the Small Things!

I wanted to take this opportunity to ask all of you for your input. It's been awhile since we had a working linky list. That makes it difficult for everyone to find all who participate and visit them. It also makes it hard for new people to join in on the fun. I considered creating a new linky list, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to find linky services that don't cost money. Since I have four kids and a limited budget, I really don't want to spend money on a service if I don't have to. I'm sure you can all understand that.

Here's one idea I have to solve this problem. I can set up a separate page on my blog that has links to everyone who participates in Celebrate the Small Things. If you currently participate or would like to, let me know and leave a link to your blog in the comments so I can add you to the list. I can also make things easier by copying and pasting that list onto the end of my celebrate posts.

Let me know if you think this idea would work. Or, if you have an idea you like better, let me know!

Be sure to check out the IWSG website for lots of great writerly resources!

Here's the optional question for this month: If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

There are so many choices! How can I possibly decide? And once I do pick a place, how can I be sure I'd actually sit down and write rather than wander off to explore? The only way to ensure this wouldn't happen, I think, is to avoid the more touristy spots around the world. I'll have to save those for a vacation.

I think getting a cabin in the woods would be the best bet. Preferably it would have internet access and air conditioning. And a coffee pot, of course. I would also want it to be close enough to a medium sized town so I could pick up supplies as I need them. I think this would allow me enough alone time to focus on my writing while also giving me just enough down time so I don't lose my mind.

Friday, August 30, 2019

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

I'm celebrating the fact that this is going to be a three day weekend. Who doesn't love that? I know the kids are excited for it. We don't have any solid plans, but we'll see what the weekend brings.

The boys are doing well in school so far. They look forward to going every day, at least. They've also been riding their bikes to and from school since we live close. They've been enjoying that bit of independence.

Lastly, I'd like to celebrate games. My husband and I had a great time playing a trivia game the other night. I've also spent some time playing word games this week. It's fun, and it's also good for your brain. Sounds like a win-win scenario to me!

Friday, August 23, 2019

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

First of all, I'm celebrating my boys being back in school! They're both excited about a new school year. Jude is excited because they're going to be doing a lot of geography this year, and he's obsessed with maps. Lyle is looking forward to learning cursive.

I'm also celebrating that fact that I finished and submitted a flash fiction piece to a magazine this week. It doesn't honestly matter whether it gets accepted or not. It's been so long since I submitted something that it felt good to go through that process again.

Finally, I'd like to celebrate the fact that Daisy is growing like a weed. Yes, I need to go shopping for new clothes for her since she's outgrown almost everything she has right now, but that's okay. Picking out cute baby clothes can be fun.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

It's time for another WEP/IWSG Challenge! This month the theme is Red Wheelbarrow.My piece this month is short. It's also true. This theme hit me harder than expected since both of my parents are gone now. Still, it felt cathartic to write it.

Fragments of Childhood

Patches
of rust covered the red wheelbarrow, betraying its age and hinting at the
amount of use it had seen in those years. The wooden handles threatened to
leave you with splinters in your palms if you weren’t careful.

That
old wheelbarrow carried many things. It transported logs to and from the woodpile
in the backyard. It carried gardening tools and plants in the springtime. The
dirt dug into my knees and got under my fingernails as I helped my parents plant
peas, onions, tomatoes, and various other things. We pulled weeds. Then, when
we were finished, we piled the dirt-caked gardening tools back into the
wheelbarrow so they could be cleaned and put back into the garage.

I
can’t even begin to count all the things that wheelbarrow carried over the
years. I can recall my favorite thing, though. After the work was done, I’d beg
my dad to let me ride in the wheelbarrow. “Please!” I begged. “Just for a
little bit.”

My
dad almost always gave in and let me take a short ride around the yard. He
pushed the wheelbarrow while my mom watched me throw my arms up in the air. The
setting summer sun illuminated the grass, casting long shadows between the
trees. It all seemed so magical. Surreal.

That
rusty red wheelbarrow carried lots of things, all of them fragments of my
childhood.

Friday, August 16, 2019

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

This post is coming late, and I'm sorry for that. A lot has been going on, but better late than never, right?

The first thing I'm celebrating is that my boys start school next week. They're both excited to see their friends again on a regular basis and to learn new things. As much as I love them, I'm also looking forward to having them out of the house for a few hours a day.

Daisy is now three months old! She's been so interactive lately. I love it when she smiles and laughs. She's growing so fast I can hardly believe it.

Finally, the next Write...Edit...Publish Challenge is happening next week from the 21st to the 23rd! You can find details here!